When Ezra comes back
by AngieMarie1111
Summary: Aria and Ezra last left us in a fight, how do things turn out from there?
1. Chapter 1

Aria found herself lost in Noel's eyes as they sang along together. For just a moment, the pain was gone. She wasn't worrying over her family or getting a message from "A", she wasn't even aware of the aching she had felt since losing Ezra.

She was still in a daze as she noticed Noel slowly starting to come in towards her for a kiss. It seemed to be in slow motion at first, yet she couldn't react fast enough. She wasn't sure she wanted to kiss him, but she found herself leaning in for the kiss regardless. Before she had a chance to decide, she suddenly realized they were not alone. Someone was at the door. That someone had stopped mid stride at the sight of them about to kiss. And when Aria's mind finally caught up to real time, she realized that person was the last person she wanted to have seen how close she had come to kissing Noel.

It was Ezra. And he looked furious. Aria felt her body immediately heat up with intensity. Her every nerve was standing on eaches own end. The sight of him, standing there with wet hair and rain droplets covering his clothes, sent her heart fluttering and her insides burning. She hadn't felt that feeling since she'd last seen him, when he'd told her he could never hate her. Right before he had left and not returned.

She had often wondered what their reunion would be, what she would say, and his excuses for leaving. This is not how she had imagined. It was her in the hot seat now. Something about her didn't want Noel to leave, but he was already mumbling apologizes for being caught with an adult not around on his way out the door. No care in the world for Aria still left in the classroom alone with Mr. Fitz.

Ezra clinched his jaw, and then made his way to his desk to set down his brief case. Aria hadn't moved from the seat, but she hadn't broken Ezra's gaze since she first saw him in the doorway. He just stared at her, she couldn't read his expression. She didn't know what he was thinking or feeling, he'd had no real reaction yet.

Finally, she broke the silence, "Say something, Ezra, something, anything."

"Maybe you should head back to the common area where the rest of the students are being supervised," he replied and made a lame attempt to find something on his desk to divert his attention.

"Fine!" she let out after a few moments of staring at him with her mouth gaping open in response to his reply, and started making her way to the door. She was almost out the door when she changed her mind. Stopping dead in her tracks, she turned around to face him once more, then started back towards him.

"No!" she was firm; she wasn't going to let him leave again with no explanation. "I need some answers from you, Ezra. You were the one true thing in my life, and then you up and left. When things were at their hardest for me, you ran, without a goodbye, you didn't say where you were going, you didn't even say you **_were_** going. And then I find out you are interviewing," her voice trailing off a bit.

By this time she was pacing back and forth in front of the rows of seats, he was leaning against his desk, his arms a crossed his chest as he decides to speak, "how did you know about the interview?"

She shakes her head, not knowing which is the lesser of the two evils, and continues, "and then you walk in on something," she flails her arms towards where she and Noel had just been sitting, "and I'm not really sure I know exactly what was happening, with me and another guy and you just, you just...tell me to leave?" She asks fighting back tears.

She stops at a halt, facing him with her hands that had once been gesturing here and there, now on her hips. She knows she has to let the anger speak now, or the tears will take over, "but I guess you were able to remove me completely from your life, so none of this matters to you. I'm just one of your students now. You haven't wasted a thought on me since the moment you left the dance!"

By this time he is moving in towards her, his voice was firm. "I thought about you every second."


	2. Chapter 2

Aria had felt so determined just moments ago; it only took a second for her to realize that the tables had just turned. He came at her with force, she had never seen him like this before. He wasn't going to hold back his emotions now, she was certain of that. She focused hard to hold her own. Not letting herself look away, she kept his eye contact. Each stared at the other, just inches from touching, allowing the tension to deepen between them.

That must have been when she took her first breath; she could smell that familiar scent. She took in another deep breath and felt the tension melt away. Her focus waivered, her eyes even closed for a second as a smile hinted on her lips. She found herself thinking of nothing but the two of them together and how wonderful it when they're together. The undeniable connection between them so strong, not even the threat of fear, anger or an argument could stand a chance. She felt her head tilt back and her eyes closed, her hair flowing down back, as she held on to the sensation running through her like it might be the last.

He, still overcome with anger of seeing her almost kiss that boy, wasn't swayed by her sweet scent. Instead, it was the look she gave him that displaced his fury. That same look that had overpowered him in the past time and time again. He felt his own lips lifting at the corners in response to hers. Although he hadn't yet placed it there, he could almost feel his hand on the back of head pulling her to his lips. He was still practicing restraint when she opened her eyes and looked back at him, the smile slipped away.

Neither had realized that Noel had come back for Aria. He was standing at the door, and had been for an unknown length of time, when Aria first saw him.

"Noel," she whispered. She had just then looked towards Noel.

Ezra, completely unaware that Noel was standing behind him, turns towards where Noel stood, "I saw him!" It wasn't until he had said it entirely that he saw him standing in the doorway.

Noel looked at each of them, his eyes staying on Aria, when he said to her, "I was worried when, I didn't…" he looked back at Ezra for a second and back again at Aria, "Is everything OK?"

Aria couldn't see Ezra's face, he'd stayed facing Noel. She tried her hardest to wipe the look from her own face, but physically could not remove the shock. How much had he seen or heard? Who was going to speak first? She was certain that Ezra was still in as much shock as she, since neither had moved nor spoke since the two became three.

"They are starting the test soon, Aria." Noel was the first to speak. His eyes still on Aria, but he was completely aware of Ezra. He turned, one last glance in Ezra's direction, and headed back down the hallway.

Once he was out of sight, Ezra turned to Aria, both still unsure of how much Noel witnessed. Both, despite the interruption from Noel, could still feel some of the heat that just a minute ago burned between them.

Ezra, as usual, was the one to bring it down notch. "You should head to the test area; he doesn't need to know we are in here alone any longer than he already does."

She didn't argue, he was right, who knows how long Noel stood in the doorway. She walked towards the door, stopped in the doorway then turned for one last look at Ezra, to soak in the joy of him returning.

His eyes still on her when she turned around, it wasn't a smile he flashed, but it was enough to reassure her of their connection.

She wasn't worried about Noel, as she headed towards the student area. Ezra was back, and his feeling for her still very apparent.

She was starting to think that there was nothing that could put out the fire between her and Ezra, then her phone vibrated with a new text. "Wonder what it will take to keep Noel quiet about your little secret? -A."


	3. Chapter 3

Aria placed her phone on her chest, and then glanced up and down the hallway; she was alone. She looked back at her phone, at the text "A" had just sent her, and read it again, 'Wonder what it will take to keep Noel quiet about your little secret?' This was the last thing she needed, not now that Ezra was back.

Ezra was back, she let herself drift off for a moment. Even if they didn't get to talk out the details, or end their meeting on their terms, he was back. And, he had thought about her every second.

She closed her phone, put it in her purse, and started back towards the common area. First, she had to prepare herself for Noel. She needed to find out how much he knew about her and Ezra, which proved difficult since she wasn't sure how long he stood at the doorway. He'd seen enough though, enough to have asked if everything was OK. She had to find out exactly how much he knew, and what he was going to do with that information. She cringed at the thought of Ezra caught by the school board, fired, and then forced to leave town, all because of her. She was not going to let that happen.

Once through the doors, she saw Noel at the closest table to her right; he looked up at her and then started in her direction. She bit her lower lip in concentration; she studied him, in attempt to guess what he might say, or how much he knew about her and Ezra.

He looked happy, she thought to herself, which confused her even more. She wasn't prepared for happy, she expected judgmental, disapproving or jealousy even, but not happy.

Still, despite his apparent good mood, nerves ran through her like crazy; but not the good nerves that she felt pulsing through her whenever she was near Ezra, these nerves stung, and made her sick to her stomach.

"Hey, I wanted to ask you about Friday night before they made us start splitting up into groups and we go to separate rooms." He was in front of her, smiling and fumbling with his backpack straps. He was charming, when he put his best attempt at flirting to work. "We could go see a movie, if you'd like," he graciously offered.

He was cute, she thought, and she did have a crush on him at one time. But he didn't come close to doing things to her that a look from Ezra could do. "I think I already have plans for this Friday," she politely declined. "And Noel, I know that we may have had a moment back there, but I'm really not looking to get involved with anyone right now."

This was a good open for Noel to admit how much he knew about her and Ezra. And, it was actually the truth, at least the first part. She and the other girls had decided to go to Mona's party on Friday; even if they thought it was a lame idea and no one except Hanna really liked Mona, the real reason was that "A" promised answers that night.

Just then, the corners of his mouth dropped, his eyebrows drew in a bit as the expression on his faced shifted. He didn't look hurt at her rejection. Instead, he wore an irritated look on his face, as he leaned in towards her and asked with a lowered voice, "Exactly how well do you know Mr. Fitz, Aria?" His eyes pierced through her as he waited for her to answer.

Aria felt her eyes widen and her breath quicken; she knew she wasn't doing a good job of keeping her innocence. She frantically thought for a response and continued to come up blank.

He took advantage of her silence; cocked his head and asked, "Does Saturday night work better for you?"

Before she knew that she had even spoken, the words, "You know, I think I'm free Saturday," spilled over her lips. She had no choice; she wouldn't risk Ezra getting in trouble.

His face went back to the cute, happy school boy look he generally wore daily. "Great!" Glad you changed your mind." He turned and walked back to his friends; Aria remained, frozen in shock.

Once Noel was back at his table, he looked again at Aria - and winked.


	4. Chapter 4

It was Monday morning. Aria turned the corner and headed down the hallway toward her locker, the same hallway as Ezra's classroom. She looked in his direction, as she had repeatedly done each morning this past semester. It had been torture the past two weeks with him gone.

Today, he stood there. He caught her stare right away; he knew where to expect her. A small smile, meant not to be seen by anyone by but her, flashed across his face then disappeared as he looked away. She returned the smile, but didn't look away.

She hadn't seen or talked to him since they were interrupted by Noel. She hadn't told him that Noel acted suspiciously and that she had agreed to a date. She wasn't sure how Ezra was going to take the news. But they needed to talk; she needed to hear what all he accomplished while he was away. She still wanted some answers, but she was certain of one thing, she was incomplete without him.

She reached her locker and finally looked away from Ezra. She fumbled with her locker, trying to conceal the smile and blush red across her face; she finally opened the locker door.

There was something there, a cardboard tube, one that might hold a small poster. She wondered where it could have come from, but hesitated on pulling it out in the open. Her first fear was A.

She turned to look back at Ezra, but instead came face to face with Noel, blocking her view.

"Hey, Aria," he chirped. His mood happy as usual. "How was the rest of your weekend?"

"Umm, great, thanks." That was all she could manage as she tried not to be too obvious in her search for Ezra. She turned back to her locker and slipped the container in her bag without anyone seeing, shut the door to her locker and said, "Listen, I've got to take care of something before class this morning, I'll see you later." She didn't even look directly at him.

She started down the hall towards Ezra's classroom. Finally, she was able to make eye contact with him again. Right at the moment, Noel decided to speak, "Ok. We can discuss plans for our date on Saturday night later. See you at lunch." She felt her face flush red. She didn't turn around and acknowledge Noel's comment.

She saw the fury in Ezra's face; he turned and walked into the empty class room. She couldn't go in, not without drawing attention to them. She would have to explain everything to him; she just wasn't sure when or how he would take it.

She was directly even with his doorway now, and took a chance by looking over at his desk. She was sure he would be glaring at her, furiously.

Instead, he picked up a book and threw it across the room. The loud thud against the wall made Aria jump. The hallway got quiet as students started looking around for the source of the noise.

She continued on down the hall with her heart pounding, she had to get away from the crowd; she was close to tears and couldn't risk the attention. She had not seen Ezra that emotional before. She turned a corner, and then stepped out the back door. It was a private area; she leaned against the shut door and clutched her bag, her heart pound loudly.

She had to tell Ezra, she couldn't see him this angry. She wanted nothing more than to go to his room now and tell him everything. But what could he do? He can't threaten Noel. They can't be out in the open. She had no choice. But she must tell him, she couldn't bare the thought of him thinking that she wanted to be with Noel and not him.

First, she wanted to see what was in the container. And find out who it sent it.

It opened easily. There was a piece of paper inside. She pulled out the paper and took a look at it.

It was a poem, and it had a title, _**B26**_.


	5. Chapter 5

Aria could barely see the words on the paper through her tears. In her hands she held the poem Ezra had written her, his professed feelings for her. Yet she let him believe she had a date with Noel this weekend. She did have a date with Noel this weekend, but it was the last place she wanted to be, the last person she wanted to be with. She really wanted to be with Ezra, even if it meant being held up in his apartment. She just wanted to be with him more than anything.

She tried putting herself back together; she placed the poem back in the container and the container back in her bag. The bell had rung and class was now in session. The halls should be empty, she thought, as she made her way back to Ezra's classroom. She stopped at his door, and stared thru the window at him for a few moments. Her cheeks still stained from her recent tears.

He sat at his desk, red pen in hand, grading papers on his off period. He hadn't seen her yet. She could sense his lack of concentration, and knew he wasn't thinking about the papers strewn on his desk.

After a few moments, he looked up and caught her stare. She felt him take in her appearance, tear stains down her cheeks. Despite the professed feelings in his poem, along with the tears she currently wore on her face, he didn't appear happy to see her. He didn't get up from his seat to come to let her in, he just returned her stare blankly. She opened the door and walked in anyways. She wasn't sure what to say to him, but she needed to talk to him. She couldn't allow him to question her feelings for him, or to believe this Noel facade any longer.

She walked up to him, he hadn't moved since he first caught her stare. The words he'd written her still repeating in her head. _i'm not allowed to love you, but can't help that I do. _ "That poem," she took a breath, "was the most beautiful, amazing thing that anyone has ever done fro me, Ezra. Thank you."

"Yeah, well," he trailed off and looked away. He was hurt, and she could see it. And it killed her to see him like this, knowing it was her fault. She had to tell him. She could see the disappointment in his face, like he wished he had never announced his feelings for her.

"I've got to tell you about Noel." She blurted out without exactly knowing how to follow that statement.

"I don't think there is anything else you need to tell me, I gathered you have plans with him this weekend, so there couldn't be anything else that would concern me." He was straightening the papers on his desk he had just graded, simply finding something to occupy his eyes, she knew him that well at least.

"That's just it, I don't want to have plans with him, He tricked me." She blurted out.

"Tricked you, Aria?" She picked up on the sarcasm in his voice.

"Yes, tricked me." Her voice irritated, didn't he remember Noel walking in on them the other day? "He asked me how well I know you." She thought back on how creepy he had acted letting her know he was in on her secret.

"How well you know me?" He asked, his words still soaked with sarcasm. "And you took that as blackmail of some sort?"

"It was the way he said it, Ezra, he made it clear he picked up on something the other night." She didn't know how else to tell him, it was all in the way he said it. She could fell her own frustration coming out in her voice. She wasn't certain how they had suddenly resorted to sarcasm and accusatory tones.

"It's always something, Aria." He rose from his desk, and finally made eye contact with her for the first time in a while. "I just can't….it's best if we..." he shook his head, not finishing his sentence. He rose from his seat and left the room; left her standing as he'd done once before.

She could see that he was mad, hurt and confused, just as she was. She just couldn't understand why he didn't want to work on a resolution, why he thought giving her attitude and shutting her out would make it all go away. Then she realized, it could make it all go away, for him. And that meant her too, if that is what he wanted.

Another tear ran down her face.


	6. Chapter 6

Camp Mona wasn't so bad, Aria thought as she reclined back in a chair with one person handling her pedicure and another handing her manicure. Emily was sitting next to her, eyes closed and deep in thought as well. Aria relaxed a bit, closed her eyes and let herself think about Ezra. Something she had tried to avoid this past week, since he'd brushed her off and chosen to ignore her since that day she found the poem, the day Noel announced their date.

The date with Noel was set for Saturday night, a movie. It sounded innocent enough, but something about Noel now did not settle with Aria. She was truly scared to be alone with him. She was still pushing Hanna and Shawn to go, but they weren't exactly getting along that well lately. And Hanna continued to ask why Aria was insisting they go with them. Not understanding why Aria didn't want to be alone with Noel.

Since Ezra was not on speaking terms with her, she had no one to confide in, no one to confess her concerns to; she was forced to hold them inside. Something she was used to doing. It pained her that he hadn't so much as looked in her direction since that day. And to think he meant all those words he'd written. She still felt responsible, but if he'd only given her a chance to explain, or listened to her when she tried to tell him about Noel, she might not be in this situation.

Emily and Aria were just finishing with the mani/pedi station, and Hanna had just been at the hair station when Spencer came running up shouting, "Get over here, all of you!"

The three rushed over to see Spencer holding a note. Immediately, they knew A was involved.

_As a group you'll never find me, you better split up to cover more ground.-A_

Spencer spoke up first, "We're not going out there alone, we'll split into two's. Hanna, you and Aria head towards the kissing rock, and search around the river for clues. Emily and I will head towards the elementary school and see what we can find over there. Let's text each other in an hour if we haven't found anything by then."

Hanna gave Spencer the flashlight while she held onto the binoculars. She grabbed Aria's hand as they took off without another word.

It took them about ten minutes to hike to the kissing rock. They looked around, but saw nothing. No sign that anyone had even been there in days, if not weeks.

They were getting a bit frustrated. "Don't you think A is counting on us to not go out alone looking for her? Or him?" Hanna asked.

"Who knows, but do you think that's smart?" Aria replied. "Maybe that's what she is counting on us to do. He, whatever, whoever."

"I think we should head back to see if Emily and Spencer have found anything, and we can split up on the way back. Maybe we'll catch A sneaking up on Emily and Spencer!" Hanna was getting more and more excited with her plan as it developed.

"OK, I'll go up a little further and check by the river, you start heading back and I'll be behind you just a few minutes." Aria caved. It did sound like a good idea, but she was a little nervous about being out there alone.

She headed to the river, just a few yards away. The moon cast light on the river and lit the sky. Just as she was about to give up and head back, she made out two figures across the river. She doubted one of them was A. They had decided long ago that this was someone acting alone.

Still she dropped back into the shadows to watch the two people, after looking closer, she could tell they both were male. Finally, one of them spoke and she instantly recognized the voice. Noel. She was somewhat relieved, figuring they were here to crash Camp Mona. But she had no intentions of letting him see her, and she didn't really want to see him when back at the camp site either.

She decided to turn and head back to meet up with the others.

Her phone vibrated in her pocket, she stopped suddenly, scared to pull out her phone in case it was A. Then she thought, it could be one of the girls checking in, it could be Hanna needing her help.

She grabbed her phone and opened it to read the message, "I need to see you –Ezra."


	7. Chapter 7

She opened the passenger side door and climbed inside. It was useless to resist, she wanted him more than anything, and was curious as to what he needed to see her about.

Though she had wanted him to reach out to her for days, she couldn't shake the feeling that she was mad at him, mad because he hadn't believed her. He had even wanted the chance to hear her explain.

"Thank you for meeting me." He said, without looking her in the eye.

She didn't respond, didn't look in his direction, but stared straight ahead.

"I don't blame you for being angry," he continued. "I deserve it. I should have listened to you about Noel." He had turned his body to face her.

"Yeah, and why now?" She asked, finally looking him in the eye.

"I overheard him talking to his friends about coming here tonight," he paused, she motioned with her eyes and head for him to finish, "and he mentioned having a secret that would make you do anything he asked." His jaw clinched as he said this.

She was relieved that he did know the truth now and relieved to see how he reacted to what Noel had said, but she wasn't ready to cave that easily. "I wish you would have believed me," she said with emphasis on the last word. "I've always been honest with you, Ezra, why would think I made that up?"

She was facing him now, her body turned towards him as was his to hers. She felt that tension, that intense heat that grew between them when they were this close to each other. His look was genuine, soft and remorseful. She fought the urge to place her hand on his face in comfort.

"I was wrong, Aria," he said as he leaned in close, "Forgive me."

She held her breath and forced herself to say, "No." She was fighting it, because she did want to forgive him. She had already forgiven him; she just wanted to hear him say it again.

He moved in even closer, their lips an inch or so apart. "Forgive me," he pleaded again with a whisper so soft she melted at the rush of his breath on her face, on her lips.

She could no longer resist, she rushed in to meet his lips with hers. Weeks of longing for each other, of being apart, were put to rest with a passionate kiss. Their hands both went to the others face, the others neck and arms. They soaked in every bit of one another. Her worries and concerns were far away. Nothing mattered now but the two of them, together.

They went on like this for a while. The heat between them literally fogged up the car windows. When they finally broke away from the kiss for a moment, she realized her phone showed several missed calls.

She panicked!

Four missed calls from Hanna!

"I've got to go!" She exclaimed and fumbled to get out of the car.

"Aria? What's wrong?" He asked as he gently grabbed her arm to keep her from exiting the car.

"It's Hanna, we were looking for A and we separated, I was supposed to be watching for her. I've got to go, Ezra. I'm sorry." She leaned in and kissed him quickly, then wiggled her arm lose and was out the door before he could respond.

She ran through the woods as fast as she could back to the camp site. Hanna hadn't answered her call back. She was getting really scared and really worried.

She ran in to Emily and Spencer in the parking lot.

"Where's Hanna?" Spencer asked.

"We split up, but I haven't…." she said and they suddenly saw headlights pulling in.

"Hanna!" Emily screamed, and Aria and Spencer looked in the direction Emily was heading and could see Hanna running towards them.

Just then the car sped up; it was headed right for Hanna. The three girls screamed in unison, "Hanna, look out!"

It was too late. The car hit her from behind and sent her flying off to the side. The driver of the car continued to speed by and drove off, leaving Hanna lying there battered on the ground.

The girls rushed over to her, still screaming, and crouched down only to find Hanna unconscious.

All three of their phones went off in chorus as they each received the same text, "She knew too much – A"


	8. Chapter 8

Emily had managed a call to 911. The ambulance was there in less than five minutes. The medics were busy loading Hanna onto the ambulance. Most of the other girls from Camp Mona had already made their way to the parking lot and the place was a buzz of hushed gossip and conversation.

Aria saw Noel and Shawn off to the side, hidden in the trees. Luckily they had decided to stay unseen by most since there was quite a commotion going on. Aria quickly looked away, she was relieved he hadn't seen her, or noticed that she had seen him. She had yet to decide how she was going to cancel their date. She would definitely need to have a talk with Ezra; the two of them would need a game plan on how to handle Noel.

The medics had said Hanna was stable, but needed to get to the hospital for testing right away. They would not give them any further information, since none of them were family.

Spencer had called Ms. Marin, who was headed to the hospital right then.

The girls were still huddled together, trying to think of clues that could lead to A. They knew she was behind this, probably behind the wheel that had run over Hanna.

"Ez…Mr. Fitz." Aria said out loud as his car pulled up. Emily and Spencer turned in the direction of where she was looking. He got out and rushed over to where the three girls were standing.

"What happened?" He asked, looking from the ambulance and then directly at Aria.

But it was Spencer that filled him in on the details, leaving out the text from A. "And they're not allowing any of us to ride in the ambulance with her," she finished.

He looked over towards the ambulance again. The medics had closed the back doors and were heading around to the front.

"I'll drive you all, let's get going, they are about to leave for the hospital." He said as had already turned around and was making his way back to his car.

"Thank you, Mr. Fitz," Spencer said as the three of them followed him towards his car.

Aria quickened her step and reached the car first, she opened the passenger side door for the second time that night. The other girls climbed in the back. The ambulance had just left and they were only a minute or so behind it.

"Any idea who did this?' He was the first to speak.

The girls all looked at each other before saying anything. Spencer and Emily knew that they couldn't say anything about A. Aria knew she couldn't tell them that Ezra already knew about A. Even if he did just know a small part of the story.

"We don't know," Emily finally answered in a whisper.

"Did any of you see what kind of a car it was? Make out a driver at all?" Ezra continued probing the girls for answers.

"No," Spencer first spoke.

"I didn't," Emily chimed in.

"Me either," Aria said and she gave him a look to signal give it a rest. She knew they weren't going to talk about A in front of him.

They rode in silence for a bit, and then as soon as Ezra turned into the hospital parking lot, Emily gasped.

"What is it?" Spencer asked as both her and Aria turned to see what Emily was looking at that had her upset.

"Look at this!" Emily pointed at the back window of Ezra's car.

He had pulled up to the Emergency Room and stopped at the waiting room area to drop off the girls at the door.

Aria looked at Ezra with her eyes wide open in shock, just as Spencer said, "Someone's been watching you, Mr. Fitz."

Ezra turned to see what had the girls so upset.

He looked back at Aria who was still staring at him, the color drained from her face.

Emily and Spencer had climbed out of the car already and were headed to the waiting room, when Spencer yelled, "Come on Aria!"

Aria and Ezra both looked back at the car window to see the message again. "I SEE YOU," was written in the condensation.


	9. Chapter 9

"It's A, it has to be!" Aria exclaimed as she looked towards the writing on the window and then back again at Ezra. She still hadn't gotten out of Ezra's car yet, and the other girls were already inside the waiting room.

"A? The person who sent you that text about us? The one you say is messing with you? Who is this person?" He strung together these questions without giving her a chance to answer in between.

"Yes, and I don't know," she managed in a whisper with a nod.

"Aria, we aren't going to worry about this now. You need to focus on Hanna. We can deal with this later." Ezra calmly replied. She wasn't sure how he could suddenly appear so unnerved by his, but she took his advice and calmed down a bit.

"I'm not going inside, but you better head in now," he said as he looked around the parking lot at some of the other students that arrived and were walking into the waiting room. "Call me when you know more about Hanna."

Aria reluctantly agreed and went inside in search of Emily and Spencer. She found the other girls in the waiting room with a few others from Camp Mona. They were seated in a corner and motioned for Aria when they saw her.

"Ms. Marin is already back there with Hanna, she's unconscious," Emily said as she gestured for Aria to sit in the empty seat between her and Spencer.

"Why did you guys separate in the woods, Aria?" Spencer grilled Aria.

"I know it wasn't a good idea, but Hanna was certain that since we'd already looked everywhere and were just heading back to you guys, that we could have a better chance of sneaking up on A." Aria looked down and shook her head, trying to fight back tears. She knew it wasn't the smartest thing, not when A was playing so dirty with them.

Emily moved closer and placed her arm around Aria, "She'll be fine, it's Ok." Aria looked up to see Emily shoot Spencer a look of disapproval.

Spencer took the hint, "We did find something while we were looking for A." She attempted to change the subject, "turns out the older boy that Ali was dating was Ian."

"Melissa's Ian?" Aria asked, completely sidetracked from the previous feeling of being responsible for leaving Hanna alone. "How do you know?"

"We found a tree at the old playground that they had carved their names in with a heart." Spencer went on, "he must have been the older boy. And that's why she said she was so disgusted when she caught us kissing, she was jealous."

"Do you both think Ian is A?" Aria asked, looking from Emily to Spencer and then back to Emily again.

They both shrugged and showed no conviction in their expressions.

Aria continued, "How could he know so much about us? And not just from when Allison was alive, but A knows current things about us."

"What does A have on you that is current, Aria?" Emily questioned.

Aria realized she'd said too much, "I just meant on us in general, like the text after Hanna was hit by the car." She hoped this covered her tracks.

"I don't think Ian is A, but he could be the killer." Spencer said softly, like she was thinking out loud, not looking either of the other two in the eye.

"Then who is A?" Emily asked aimlessly, and got no response.

The girls sat in silence for a few minutes, still no updates on Hanna. The waiting room had thinned out a bit, with the exception of its newest arrivals, Sean and Noel.

Aria immediately knew she needed to talk to Ezra. She needed to tell Noel something, and fast, as he was making his way over to where the three of them sat.

Sean was the first to speak, "Have you heard anything from the doctors or Hanna's mom?"

"No." Aria said and she used this time to make an excuse to step away. She thought it best to call Ezra and see if he might have a suggestion on how to handle Noel, who hadn't taken his eyes off Aria since they walked up. "I'm going to step down the hall a bit and call my mom, I haven't done that yet and I'm sure she's worried sick about me."

She didn't wait for a response from any of them, just stood and started down a hall and turned out of sight as fast as she could. She couldn't get her phone out fast enough to dial Ezra's number.

She was just about to hit the call button when from behind she heard, "Hey Aria, wait up."

It was Noel.

She slowly turned around to face him. He walked up to her, his usual happy grin plastered on his face, and said, "I'm really looking forward to tomorrow night, well, actually it's tonight, huh? Since we just passed midnight!" He laughed a little, her face remained motionless.

She just stared at him blankly, searching for a response, when all she could come up with was, "Noel, I don't think I'm going to be up to going out with all that's happened." She figured this was the truth, let him decipher the meaning as he saw fit. "I really need to call to my mom, Noel. I'll see you back out in the lobby in a few minutes." And she turned her back on him to head further down the quiet hall.

She had taken a few steps away before he responded. "Is this because of Hanna? Or is it Mr. Fitz, Aria?" He said with a stern voice, stopping her in her tracks.

Before she could turn around, Ms. Marin came out of a room down the hall that had to be Hanna's. When she saw Aria, she came rushing towards her and gave her a hug. "She's still unconscious, but she is starting to respond to some of the testing. The doctor thinks she'll be awake by morning."

Ms. Marin was sniffling back tears into Aria's shoulder. Noel took this as his sign to head back to the waiting room. Aria was relieved, both that Hanna seemed to be making some good progress, and that the conversation between Noel and her was cut short.

Once Aria and Hanna's mom got back to where Emily and Spencer were seated in the waiting room along with Sean and now Noel, Hanna's mom explained what the doctor had said, and that she suggested visitors leave for the evening. Even if Hanna woke up sometime throughout the night, visitors other than family wouldn't be allowed in her room until after 8am.

"I'll get everyone home, Ms. Marin," Sean volunteered as he looked around at the girls and Noel to agree.

They all gathered their stuff and started to make their way out to the parking lot. Emily stepped in between Aria and Spencer, placed an arm around each of them and said, "She's going to be fine, she'll be awake when we come visit in the morning." She was doing her best to try and liven them up a bit, as this was usually Hanna's role in the group.

Suddenly, like clock work, all three girls' text went off at the same time, a typical A tactic. They all knew it was A, and secretly shared a look with each other to confirm, but they made sure not to show it in their faces for fear the guys might suspect something unusual.

The three girls climbed in the back of Sean's car. Spencer, who sat in the middle, discreetly opened her phone for the three of them to see the message.

"Guess I didn't finish the job. But don't worry bitches, I'm not done yet! - A"


	10. Chapter 10

She stared at the 3B on the door, her hand in mid air, deciding whether to knock or not. It was after two in the morning, but something told her he'd be awake.

She knocked.

She listened for a sound, a signal that he was awake, but heard nothing. She had almost talked herself out of her visit and turned to leave when the door opened.

He stood there in the doorway wearing just a pair of black sweats. He was shirtless. She'd never seen this much of him. She sucked in a breath at the sight of his toned arms, shoulders and chest. There were tiny hairs sprinkled across his chest that grew in a pattern and disappeared below the band of his sweats. She followed the trail of hairs with her eyes as she fought the urge to reach out and touch him.

He didn't say a word, and neither did she. He simply stepped aside and motioned with his head as a gesture for her to enter.

She took a step in and looked around. It was dark inside; the only light was coming from a lamp on the table next to his couch. He'd been reading, she gathered, by the book laid open on the coffee table.

He shut the door the behind her. "How is she?" he finally spoke, even though they hadn't moved beyond the entrance to his apartment.

It took her a second to gather her thoughts; she was still caught off guard a bit by his appearance. "She's still unconscious, but the doctor thinks she'll be awake by morning," she finally managed. "I think she's going to be ok."

He shook his head in approval. "And you? How are you?" He asked.

She tried to force a smile, and nod her head as a sign she was fine, but she couldn't stop the tears from welling up in her eyes. She dropped her head and lost sight with his stare. "I don't know who's doing this to us, Ezra," she finally confessed. "We got another message from A as we left the hospital."

She handed him her phone to show him the message. He read it, and then tossed her phone over on counter. His hands found her face as he lifted it to meet her gaze again, "We'll figure this out, we'll find out who this person is, I promise you."

"And what about Noel?" She questioned.

His hands dropped from her face, she could sense the tension that suddenly crept over him as he took a step back. "I'm not concerned about him. I won't let him keep you from me. He's not going to come between us, Aria. I won't let him; I won't let anything come between us again."

"But what if he goes to the school board, or the police? I don't want you to loose your job, or get in trouble, Ezra." She stepped towards him, closing in the gap between them to just a few inches.

He instinctively wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, "We just won't give him anything to use against us." She tucked her head under his neck and laid her face against his chest. Her hands reached around him and pulled down on his bare shoulders drawing him nearer to her as he planted a kiss on the top of her head.

She held on to him for a while. It was the only place, in his arms, that she felt safe, whole, and complete.

She finally loosened her grip on him and pulled her head back to look up at him.

Her eyes weren't tired, or stressed as they had been when she first got to his apartment, they now were full of lust and desire. She could see him take that in; see him process the look on her face.

"Kiss me," she demanded of him.

"Aria," he managed to get out before her lips pressed against his.

"Kiss me, Ezra," she breathed, though muffled by her mouth on his.

He didn't try to pull away or argue, instead he dove right in. They shared a kiss that was full of passion. There was so much time to be made up. The long weeks of trying to stay away from each other, of trying to do the right thing, the sensible thing, were immediately forgotten in their hunger for each other. Their time apart was lost now as their lips moved over one another's, and their tongues explored all angles inside the other's mouth.

He took a step towards the wall, she moved with him till her back was up against it. His hands that had once wrapped around her, holding her close, slowly made their way to her shoulders. He let his fingertips follow her arms down to her wrists. He grabbed a hold of each wrist, brought them above her head and pinned them against the wall. His kiss was so deep and feverish that she felt her heart speed up dangerously. He loosened his grip and let his hands find her shoulders again. His kisses softened and he pulled away from her mouth, and started with her cheeks, where the tears had once been, he laid kisses along her face, jaw and neck till he was planting delicate ones on her shoulder. He gently slipped the strap of her tank off her shoulder and let his lips cover even more skin. Her breathing had become labored, and she could feel the warmth spreading inside her. She felt fire burning within and knew she was ready for this, ready for him.

"Ezra," she breathed his name again.

He stopped and looked her in the eyes. They held each others stare for a moment. He was breathing just a heavily as she was and she could see him fighting the urge within himself.

He took her hand and led her to the couch. They sat facing each other, his hand still holding hers, but space now between them. Their breathing had settled by now, and she could sense that he'd let it get further than he'd planned.

"Tell me about A, Aria. We need to find out who this person is, and put a stop to the tormenting." He changed the subject, killed the mood, but she knew she needed to tell him about A.

And she did, she told him everything. She told him about last summer, about the Jenna thing, about every text she'd gotten from A. She didn't realize that she'd been crying till she felt his thumbs wiping away the tears from her cheeks. She felt such a weight lifted as he knew it all now. She was keeping nothing from him anymore.

She didn't remember falling asleep. But she woke to her phone as it jingled with a new text. She was lying on his bed, atop of the covers with a blanket. He was asleep on the couch, but starting to stir.

She opened her phone to check the message; it was from Emily, thank goodness, "Aria, where are you? Hanna's awake, get up here!"


	11. Chapter 11

Aria raced to the hospital, it was after 9am by the time she got there. She'd left Ezra's in a flash, only waking him to give him a quick kiss and an "I'll call you later."

She found Hanna's room quickly, even though she'd been moved from last night's room. Ms. Marin, Spencer, and Emily were chatting away with Hanna when she walked in the room.

"Hanna!" Aria immediately went in for a hug.

"Where have you been, Aria?" Spencer had to throw in as a mood killer. "I hope you talked to your mom, cause she's called all of us looking for you."

Aria didn't make eye contact with anyone but Hanna. She chose not to answer Spencer's question, and not to worry about what she would say to her mom, instead she focused on Hanna, "How are you feeling? Nothing broken, right?"

"Nothing broken, but I am bruised and sore everywhere!" Hanna laughed and then lifted her hospital gown to show Aria her battle wounds. "And I don't remember much of anything past like 7 o'clock last night. But the doctor says that my memory will probably return with time. I don't even remember the car hitting me."

Aria leaned in for another hug, with more caution this time after seeing the black and blue that had already surfaced on Hanna. "I'm so glad that you're OK."

Ms. Marin stood and walked towards the bedside, "I'm going to run home and get you a few things. You'll be fine with your girls for about an hour?" She asked Hanna.

"Sure mom, I'll be fine." Hanna assured her.

"We'll keep her company, Ms. Marin," Emily added.

Hanna's mom grabbed her purse and headed out the door, leaving just the four girls. Spencer was the first to ask, "Hanna, you don't remember anything about last night?"

"Nothing, the last thing I remember was leaving your house with our camping gear." Hanna replied and set up a little in her hospital bed eager for the details. "So, what did I miss?"

Spencer, of course, started to fill Hanna in on the details of the night.

"That sounds like me," she chuckled and looked over towards Aria, "I can't believe you agreed to it Aria" when Spencer mentioned that Hanna had suggested that she and Aria separate on the way back to camp to sneak up on A.

"But while you guys didn't find anything, we did." Emily stepped in and told her about the tree with Allison and Ian carved in it.

"Ian, could he be A?" Hanna asked and Aria could see her trying to process its possibility.

"We don't think so, but he had to be the older boyfriend," Spencer said.

"And, he could have killed Ali," Aria said and then added, "I think he's creepy."

Spencer continued with the night's events, and tried to tread lightly over the details of Hanna being hit by the car, in effort to not freak her out.

"The medics wouldn't let any of us ride with you in the ambulance, but luckily Mr. Fitz showed up and gave us a ride," Spencer finished.

Aria felt a pulse shoot through her at the mention of his name.

"Mr. Fitz!" Hanna interrupted. "I think I remember him being there last night!" She held a puzzled look on her face, "Why is that all I remember about last night?"

"You wouldn't have seen him though, Hanna. He didn't get there till they had you almost completely loaded onto the ambulance. You were already unconscious." Emily reminded her.

"I still have this fuzzy memory of him being there last night," Hanna shook her head in wonder, "and what _was_ he doing there, at a high school birthday party in the woods?"

"I guess we didn't ever think of that," Emily glanced around at the other girls, "I don't know what he was doing there. You don't think Mr. Fitz is A? Do you?" She said as she looked from each girl to the next, stopping at Aria who had the most shocked look on her face of them all. "What is it, Aria?"

"Nothing," she shook her head and tried to remove the look of shock from her face, "I just, I just think that it's a crazy idea, that's all."

Spencer chimed in, "I don't think it's that crazy, I mean think about. We didn't hear from A until school started, right? He just started teaching this year. And what reason would he have to be in the park at 10 o'clock on a Friday night, alone?"

Aria could feel herself getting angry, blood was rushing to her face, but there was nothing she could do or say.

"And what about that message on his window, remember that?" Emily added, her voice full of enthusiasm.

"Exactly, so why do you think he's A, if he's getting messages too?" Aria felt relived to have a defense for Ezra. At least one that she could vocalize without letting her secret out.

"I'm with Aria, I don't think Mr. Fitz is A. He doesn't seem capable of hurting anyone. And besides, he's too good looking to be evil." Hanna laughed at her last reason to denounce their theory. "But I still have this blurry memory of him from last night, maybe it was a dream, maybe I dreamed about us having some hot fling or something," she laughed again, "Gosh, I crack myself up! They must have me on some good meds!"

No one seemed to notice the shade of red Aria's face had turned.

"Well, I'm not convinced," Spencer replied, "I'm going to keep my eye on him for a while."

"A seems to think Hanna knows something, so maybe her memory will come back and she'll remember what it is that A didn't want her to tell." Aria attempted to divert the attention from Ezra; it didn't appear that Spencer was going to let it go anytime soon.

Hanna continued to chuckle in amusement with herself, "Sorry, I just can't stop thinking about me having a student teacher affair with Mr. Fitz; the whole idea of it all is cracking me up!"

Spencer sighed and rolled her eyes in disapproval of Hanna not taking the conversation seriously. Emily smiled at the sight of her friend alive and happy. Aria was relieved to have seen the subject moved to anything but the possibility of Ezra being A, even if it had somehow changed to a fling between him and Hanna.

Hanna, still amused with herself, displayed a big grin. "Mr. Fitz," she giggled again.

Then suddenly the smile disappeared from Hanna's face. She no longer looked amused or cheerful. Her eyes shifted to Aria as she gave an appearance of the light going off in her head.

"What is it, Hanna?" Emily asked in response to the sudden change in her mood.

Hanna glanced from Emily to Spencer and then finally landed on Aria before asking, "Can I have a moment alone with Aria, please?"


	12. Chapter 12

Hanna's eyes remained on Aria, who had chosen to keep her own eyes glued to the floor. The other two made their way to the door of Hanna's hospital room, both giving one last look back toward the other two before closing the door behind them.

Aria's nerves ran wildly in anticipation of what Hanna wanted to talk to her about alone.

Hanna tried to sit up in her bed; her hand flew instinctively to her ribs as a wincing sound escaped her lips.

Something in the pit of Aria's stomach told her that what Hanna wanted to talk about was about Ezra; that maybe she had somehow figured out the truth about them.

And she was right.

With the first words out of her mouth, Hanna had confirmed Aria's suspicions, "I saw you with Mr. Fitz last night. I remember now."

Aria glanced up at Hanna and then back down again, "What are you talking about, Hanna?" Aria said, with the most innocent voice she could conjure, in a reach for a small chance to deny the truth.

"I saw you with him, in his car, you two were kissing." Hanna replied, with certainty in her voice.

She had seen them.

Aria's brain did circles trying to determine how she would handle this situation. She focused on her nerves first, not wanting the shade of her face or her reaction to Hanna's words to give it away that quickly.

"Hanna…." She stumbled for a response, too afraid there was no way out of this now.

"I'm serious, Aria. I know what I saw. You can tell me truth. Are you sleeping with Mr. Fitz?" This time Hanna was able to pull herself up a bit in her bed, seeming to have forgotten the pain she was in. She was consumed with this news she had uncovered; this truth she sat on the edge of confirming.

"No, I'm not sleeping with Mr. Fitz." Aria truthfully replied, she knew she couldn't successfully lie anymore as Hanna had apparently seen them in his car last night, "but," she stammered, not quite sure of her next response. She herself didn't really know how to describe her relationship with Ezra. Just thinking about it, she could feel a smile creeping across her face.

"But, what? Aria," Hanna was now sitting straight up in her hospital bed, her face showed sheer curiosity as she continued to question Aria about this secret romance.

Aria felt the smile surface on her face as she looked Hanna in the eye for the first time since she'd confronted her for the truth. She bit her lower lip in effort to build up the needed courage, "But, there is _something_ going on," she said as a small weight lifted from her shoulders. She really had needed someone to talk to about this.

"Aria! He's a teacher!" Hanna exclaimed. "It's dangerous! What if the school finds out?"

Aria gave her a glance of knowingness, "It's been hard, Hanna, so hard," she said, shaking her head. "I could get him into a lot of trouble. I could get both of us in a lot of trouble, but I could get him fired….maybe even worse."

Just saying it out loud made Aria stop and think about how risky it was to continue seeing him, how much more he risked than she did. Was it wrong of her to pursue this? To allow him to put himself in such danger? To risk everything for her?

"What happened? Did he approach you after class or something?" Hanna questioned and then spoke out loud something that Aria figured was probably not meant to be, "He doesn't look the type to go after his students."

"Hanna! No, it's not like that, we met before school even started!" Aria couldn't believe that Hanna even thought that for a second. "He's…" Aria looked away, in no real direction, just completely lost in her thoughts.

She didn't notice the smile that returned once again to her face.

"He makes you happy?" Hanna half questioned, half confirmed with clear approval written across her face. She could see the look on her friends face; it was one that had not been seen on Aria's face in a long time, if ever.

Aria didn't respond, she just met her friends gaze and gave a look that confirmed.

He did make her happy.

"Does anybody else know?" Hanna broke the mood, as Aria's face dropped instantly. Hanna had asked the one question that Aria wished could be avoided forever. But she knew she had to tell the truth, she had no other choice.

"A does," Aria dropped the bombshell on Hanna, waiting for her reaction. Only to add, along with a look of astonishment on her face, "And, I think Noel does too."

Hanna could only soak in the first part of Aria's response. "A knows!"

"Wait! Wait a second!" Hanna gasped suddenly, "I saw Noel last night, in the woods! He wrote the A message on Mr. Fitz' car. That's the message Emily was talking about. Noel was there! I remember now." Hanna was talking so fast that Aria couldn't keep up with her. Hanna paused a moment and you could see the thoughts processing on her face.

"Noel is A!" Hanna said out loud and with full belief, just as the door to her room opened.

In walked her doctor, followed by Spencer, Emily, Sean and Noel.

"Did I hear my name?" Noel asked with his usual grin, showing all teeth, "Noel is a what?"


	13. Chapter 13

Hanna's hospital visitors filed into her room, one by one. The four girls shared looks that darted back and forth from girl to girl, each with widened eyes. Aria read the look on the faces of Spencer and Emily and confirmed they had heard and understood Hanna's recent accusation of Noel being A.

The doctor took his place at Hanna's bedside, remaining oblivious to the awkwardness that filled the room, and went about his check up on the patient.

Spencer and Emily both took a seat on the plaid sofa along wall of windows in Hanna's hospital room. Emily curled into a ball, pulling her knees to her chest and wrapping her arms around her shins. Spencer sat on the edge of her seat, like a cat ready to pounce, dissecting Noel through a series of quick looks and glances in his direction.

Aria rose from the seat she had taken on Hanna's bed, making room for the doctor. She stood equal distance from Hanna's bed and the sofa housing both Spencer and Emily, making sure to keep a distance between her and Noel.

Sean and Noel had taken only a step or two in and remained standing in the doorway of the room.

Aria's mind raced at an uncontrollable speed. Thoughts shot back and forth in her mind, triggering question after question.

_Noel had seen her with Ezra. What would he do with that knowledge? Was he really A or just a jealous stalker that had followed her to Ezra's car last night? And what about Sean? He was at Camp Mona with Noel. Had Hanna just seen Noel at Ezra's car and not Sean? Was Sean there? Did Sean know about her and Ezra, too? The girls had given thought that A could be more than one person, but Sean and Noel? Hadn't A been threatening her about Noel? _

She tried to remember if she had gotten a message from A while with Noel, but she couldn't remember.

In an answer to her question, her phone buzzed with a new message.

As usual, all three of the girls looked directly at Aria. Though no one spoke, they all had the same question on the tip of their tongues, _Is it A?_

Aria said a silent prayer that the message might be from Ezra, or even her mom. Though she had yet to deal with her mom questioning her whereabouts from the night before, she'd take that over a message from A. She wasn't sure what she planned to tell her mom, but she'd have to figure out a lie sooner or later.

She opened her phone to view the message. She was aware that all eyes in the room, aside from Hanna's doctor, were glued to her.

"I took care of creating last night's alibi for you, Aria. Looks like you own me big! – A"

Aria clasped the phone shut and looked up to meet Hanna's gaze and then Spencer and then Emily. She didn't need to say a word; the look on her face was enough that they knew exactly who has sent the message.

The doctor took that moment to close up the chart and comment on Hanna's speedy recovery, making his exit out of the room.

Sean approached Hanna and bent down to plant a kiss on her forehead. Hanna blushed and thanked him; the two became oblivious to the others in the room for a moment.

Noel took the opportunity to move in closer to Aria, "We need to talk," was all he said. It was a whisper, but loud enough for the remaining girls to hear.

Spencer came to the rescue, "Actually, guys, we need to give Hanna a hospital make over." She looked over toward Sean, "you know she can't handle all the company and attention when she hasn't even washed her face for the day." Spencer gave a light laugh, but Hanna picked up on the signal.

"Yes, please. And I hope you brought my hair straightener." She smiled at Spencer and then took Seans hand, "will you come back and see me tonight? After I'm beautiful," she teased.

And with that, the boys exited the room leaving the four girls alone again.

Aria walked over and made sure the door was closed completely and then turned to face the others. She shuddered at the thought of what was to follow. She knew she would be facing a series of questions from her friends, some of which would require her to tell her secret.

"That message was from A?" Spencer was the first to speak; it wasn't a question as much as it was a statement.

Aria nodded, "Yes, so Noel can't be A."

"What made you think it was Noel?" Emily asked in Hanna's direction.

Hanna glanced at Aria and then back to Emily before saying, "Last night, I saw Noel write on the back window of Mr. Fitz' car."

"But then A just texted Aria, with Noel standing right here in the room with all of us." Emily stated the obvious.

"What did your message say?" Spencer asked Aria.

This was it, Aria thought, she knew once she told them what A had said, that she'd have some explaining to do. But she had no choice; there was no turning back now. "A's message said that she had provided my mom with an alibi for last night and that I owe her now. Or him, whoever." She said shaking her head and looking at the floor in anticipation for the questions and comments that were bound to follow.

"Alibi?" Emily and Spencer questioned at the same time.

Aria glanced over at Hanna who returned her look with a touch of understanding. Hanna knew it was going to be hard for her to tell them, but she also knew it had to be done. Aria could sense this from the look Hanna returned.

"Aria? Where were you last night, and what does A have to do with it?" Spencer asked in her most serious voice.

Aria glanced down again, bit her lower lip and prepared herself for what was to come. She took a deep breath, still not able to find the words.

"Aria?" The tone in Spencer's voice let Aria know she was getting impatient.

She looked up and met both Spencer and Emily in the eye, "I was at Ezra's house," she finally blurted out.

Both Spencer and Emily wore a confused look, "Mr. Fitz," Aria explained and then added, "I was also in his car when Hanna saw Noel write that message."

"Mr. Fitz!" Emily exclaimed, eyes wide with shock.

"Aria! Please tell me you are not dating our English teacher, please." Spencer pleaded with a hint of disapproval.

"I am," Aria admitted, "and you've got to promise me you won't say anything to anybody." It wasn't how her friends felt about her relationship with Ezra; she was more concerned at this point that he might get in trouble.

"How did this happen?" Emily asked as Spencer said, "And A knows?"

"A knows, and apparently Noel does too." She answered Spencer and then looked towards Emily.

"So you and Mr. Fitz?" Spencer said and then asked again, "How?"

She wasn't sure how detailed of an explanation they wanted when it came to her and Ezra, and she wasn't sure how detailed of one she wanted to provide.

"Yes, I've been waiting to hear this story since I figured it out almost an hour ago!" Hanna sat up in bed again to get the rest of the story, sending a comforting smile in Aria's direction. "Let's hear it, Aria."

She smiled; she knew she could trust her three best friends to keep her secret.


	14. Chapter 14

Later that afternoon, Aria drove home from the hospital with a huge weight lifted from her shoulders and the biggest smile she'd managed in months. She'd shared everything about her and Ezra with her friends; all the things she'd kept bottled up inside over the last six months were let loose. She told them about meeting him in the bar that day, about finding out on the first day of school that he was the new English teacher, she shared with them the numerous messages from A, she even told them about the troubles she and Ezra suffered through and how they'd decided to continue being together despite the risks involved.

Hanna, of course, was most interested in all the juicy details. She needed to know exactly how many dates they'd had, what it was like to make out Mr. Fitz, if they had told each other they loved one another yet. Emily was the most supportive of Aria keeping it a secret for so long; she could relate to the secretive part and the difficulties that came along with having to live a lie. Spencer was the most disapproving, but only at first. She eventually lightened up and then admitted how guilty she felt for day dreaming about him during class, and that if she'd only known about the two of them, she'd have kept her thoughts on English and not the teacher.

After all was said and done, each girl gave Aria a hug and their word that her secret was safe with them.

She didn't realize how much she had really missed this part of being girlfriends; it felt good to be honest with them, and get their support. But it felt even better to talk about Ezra and how amazing he made her feel.

She continued along her drive home, smile still fully intact, but not for long. As soon as she turned down the street leading up to the Montgomery home, her smile quickly faded and was replaced by a nervous stomach and sweaty palms. She had no idea if A had given the so called alibi to her dad or her mom or both. It was her mom that had called Spencer looking for her, but she'd been staying at the house with her dad and brother since her parents separated. Aria knew she couldn't very well text A to find out the details. She would have to be extremely careful not to say anything that would counteract whatever A had done.

Her nerves were buzzing as she pulled in her driveway and turned off the car. She took her time gathering all her belongings before walking up to the front door. She recited silent prayers that her dad might be at a school function or even just out for the afternoon. She slowly walked up to the door; using her best stealth like skills, she attempted to quietly open the front door. No luck, their door was the creakiest door in the neighborhood and it always had been.

Her dad was standing directly facing her in seconds, ready to interrogate, "Where have you been? You don't get to stay out all night just because you feel like it, Aria!"

She froze, mouth gaping open, words had escaped her. She knew she needed to say something and fast. She opted for the first thing that popped into her head, "Hanna is in the hospital, dad! She was in a car accident last night," she replied, all the while trying to convince herself it wasn't completely a lie. She hadn't come right out and answered his question, but she felt she had provided him with enough info to possibly divert the topic.

Again, luck was not on her side.

"So you were at the hospital all night? You couldn't call and let me know?" He questioned her, without giving her room to respond before adding, "I even had to call and wake your mother. I'm trying really hard, Aria, to be a good father, now that I'm doing it all by myself. But having to call your mom after midnight trying to find you doesn't help my cause much."

"I'm sorry, dad; we were so worried about Hanna, that I guess it slipped my mind." She felt relieved that it appeared the conversation was almost over, and yet she hadn't really addressed the issue.

"I was really worried about you. Let's not let something like this happen again, OK?" He gave her the stern, fatherly look she'd seen all too many times and then headed back towards the kitchen as she took the stairs up to her room.

One down, she thought, as she climbed the stairs. Hopefully it'd be just as easy with her mom. But she wasn't so sure that would be the case, since it was now apparent that A had only provided her mom with an alibi; Ella was going to be the difficult one.

She had a lot a think about and so much to tell Ezra. She needed to tell him about Noel writing the message on his car window, in case Noel decided to do something stupid that might get Ezra in trouble. She figured it best to tell him that her friends now knew about their secret relationship. Plus, there was still the A issue. She was certain Ezra could help calm her nerves where A was concerned; he had a way of taking her troubles and making them disappear.

She'd decided on a hot shower, then a call to Ezra. She did her best thinking in the shower, and she still needed to find the right approach to admit her confession to the girls earlier. Not to mention, she really wanted to see him after rushing out so quickly earlier that day.

She stepped into the steamy shower and let the hot water run down her front; turning slightly to drench her entire body before she allowed the warmth to cover her face. She turned to let the water hit her shoulders rolling her head from side to side, feeling the tension release as the temperature of the water mixed with the pressure of the shower massaged her shoulders.

A lot had happened in the last twenty four hours. Yet at that moment, in the privacy of her shower, it was the night spent at Ezra's house that was on her mind. She remembered how he'd opened the door in just his pants, how they'd kissed so passionately, and how close they'd gotten to taking their relationship to the next level.

She wasn't sure how long she'd been daydreaming, or how long she'd been running her hands across her own breasts and down her bare stomach, and reaching in between her thighs. She didn't know how it was possible to feel more heat coming from her than the shower. She found herself on the edge of an amazing orgasm with no will power to stop.

She quickly shut off the water and reached for her towel. It wasn't that she was ashamed; it simply assured her that she needed Ezra in that way and the sooner the better.

Once out of the shower and dressed, she reached for her phone to call him. She wasn't fast enough; it rang before she could get to his name.

It was Ella. Aria stared blankly at her phone, not certain what to do. If she didn't answer, her mom would probably call her dad, and then she'd have a lot of explaining to do. But answering the call meant she would have to deal with A's unknown alibi.

She nervously answered, "Hello, mom," she shakily said into the phone.

"Aria, why didn't you tell me about last night?" Her mom sounded urgent, but not irritable or mad as expected.

"I, I guess it slipped my mind." She stammered for a vague enough answer, because truthfully, she didn't know what about last night she was supposed to have told her mom.

"Well, I am so proud of you, but I do wish you'd have told me. Why on earth would you keep something like that from me?" Her mom shot question after question at her, leaving Aria to take her pick at which ones to answer.

"I really think I've just had a lot going on mom, I'm sorry." It was all she could think of as a response. She said another silent prayer that the subject be changed right away for fear that she would just dig a hole deeper and deeper and really find herself trapped in a lie.

"Oh, I can't wait to talk about it with Mr. Fitz on Monday; I bet he's just as proud of you as I am, dear. I can't believe he didn't say something to me about on Friday when I saw him in the teacher's lounge. Congratulations again, Aria. But listen, I've got to run, I'll see at school on Monday." And with that her mom hung up.

Aria didn't blink for what seemed like minutes, her hand still held the phone to her ear. She had tried to imagine what kind of alibi A would have come up with to tell her parents, but never did she think A would have involved Ezra.

She didn't have time to call him now; she opened her phone and typed out a text. "I'm on my way over."


	15. Chapter 15

Aria descended down the stairs so quickly that her feet barely touched each step before gliding on to the next. With her purse hung securely on her arm, she grabbed the car keys and reached for the front door, pausing only long enough to yell at her dad who was bustling around in the kitchen, "Going back up to check on Hanna, dad!"

Not waiting for her dad's response, she opened the door, stepped out onto the porch and ran face to face into Noel. She froze at the sight of him standing in her doorway. Her heart raced with a speed that matched her mind. It took ever effort she had to release the breath she sucked in at the sight of him, "Noel, what are you doing here?" She shook her head in disapproval. She didn't worry about offending him, he hadn't been invited.

"I told you we needed to talk, you keep avoiding me." He snapped back at her as he squared his shoulders in an attempt to anchor them both on the porch. He towered over her in size, yet still she managed to maneuver past him and make her way down the sidewalk towards her car. She wasn't sure why, but the safety of her car called out to her.

She could hear his foot steps behind her. She sighed and turned to face him once she'd reached the end of the sidewalk, just a few steps away from her car, "Fine, what do you want to talk about?"

He stepped in closer to her; she could see the muscles of his eyes twitching and she prepared herself for what would inevitably follow, "I saw you last night, with him," He didn't need to say anything else; she knew exactly what he meant. She already knew he was the one that left the message on Ezra's car, and figured it was a matter of time before he confronted her about it. She'd only wished she had talked to Ezra first.

"I don't know what you mean," she lied as she diverted her eyes to the keys she held in her hands, allowing something else to hold their attention.

"I know what I saw, Aria!" He barked at her, she could sense hostility in him and it scared her. "So, what? You were just using me as a cover up so you could screw the teacher?"

This caught her attention, and she made sure her eyes met with his again. "No! I mean, I'm…," she stuttered trying to find the words. She knew it was useless to try and deny her and Ezra to Noel, yet she refused to surrender the truth to him so freely. She opted to avoid Ezra's name altogether, "you and I, it's complicated Noel."

This conversation needed to be over, of that she was certain; she needed to be in her car, away from Noel, and on her way to Ezra's house.

"There is no you and I." His voice was firm and thick with disgust, "You made your choice." He turned on his heels and started towards his car parked along the street. Before he opened his car door, he called out to her again, "Know this, I'm on to you now, you both better watch your backs."

Aria stood there unable to move, her eyes wide with shock and mouth incapable of producing words. He climbed in his car, started the engine and tore off down the road; black streaks left behind on the pavement.

Her dad came running out at the sound, "What's going on out here?"

"It's nothing, dad. Noel stopped by and was trying to show off." She faked a laugh and tried her best to sound convincing.

"Oh, are you two still dating? I wish he wouldn't do that in front of our house." And in his usual manner, he didn't wait for a response before turning around to enter the house again.

She threw her head back, closed her eyes, and let out a breath of exasperation. She climbed into her own car, forcing herself to be strong. She didn't need this right now, and more over, she didn't need to show up at Ezra's door in tears, not again.

She was knocking on Ezra's door in minutes of Noel's pronounced exit. She was nervous. And rightly so, she had a lot of news she was about to unload on him and she could only guess at how he would react. She needed to tell him that it was Noel who wrote that message on his car, and what Noel had said when he stopped by just earlier. She had to tell him about the unknown alibi A had provided to her mom and that her mom would most likely be questioning him about that very same alibi on Monday.

She chose not to tell him about the girls knowing their secret, not now; she'd wait till after they'd dealt with the problems at hand.

He opened the door quickly and hurried her inside, "What's going on, Aria? Is everything OK with Hanna?" He asked as he shut the door behind her.

She sat her purse and keys on the first flat surface she reached and turned to face him. "What? Oh, no, Hanna's fine. Um, I think they said she could go home tomorrow, not sure if she'll be back at school right away, but….that's not why I'm here." She was rambling, and needed to get right to the point, she took a deep breath, "Ezra, Noel Khan wrote that message on your car, and he just stopped by my house only to leave me with a threat of exposing us."

"Wait! What? Noel, again, what did he say?" He placed his hands on her shoulders to guide her down to a seat on the couch as he took one himself. She looked as if she might pass out.

Aria took another deep breath, collected her thoughts, and reached out for his hands. "He said he saw us last night, and he's on to us, so we better watch our backs." She fought the tears, but they won.

"It's Ok, Aria," he wrapped his arms around her and pulled her close, forcing her head to his chest. "I'm not afraid of him, and you shouldn't be either. As long as we're careful, there's nothing he can do." He leaned back to look her in the eyes and take her face in his hands, "Like I said last night, we aren't going to give him anything to use against us."

He pulled her close again and they stayed holding on to one another for a few minutes, him kissing the top of her head, until she had built up the courage to broach the next topic.

She finally let go of him and sat back up against the couch. She was really worried about this one, but finally blurted out her next issue, "A talked to my mom, about you."

Immediately, she knew from the look on his face that she'd not found the appropriate way to break the news. She'd never seen him look so frightened.

"No, I don't mean about you and me, just let me start over, that didn't come out right." She closed her eyes, swallowed hard, and started over, "A sent me a text this morning, saying she had provided my mom with an alibi for last night, when I was here. I don't even know how A knew my mom was looking for me. Anyway, my dad was clueless and I managed to just convince him that I stayed at the hospital. But my mom called acting all excited about something, saying I should have told her and she's so proud of me." She looked away she couldn't look him in the eyes when said this last bit; she hated having to involve him like this. She locked eyes with him before finishing, "My mom said she couldn't wait to talk to you about it on Monday, and she wonders why you hadn't said something to her about it before."

"About what?" He asked, gesturing with his hands for more information.

"I don't know. That's the thing, I couldn't very well ask my mom what A had said." She sounded so innocent, so helpless.

He stood up, ran his hands thru his hair, and then began pacing the floor. She walked up to him and tried to pull him close to her, "I'm confused too, Ezra."

He backed away from her, out of her reach.

"Aria, I already feel horrible every time your mom brings you up in conversation, she's always saying how grateful she is that you have me in your life, and I feel so guilty. She has no idea just how in your life I really am. Now I've got to make something up and I don't even know what it is I'm making up?" What started out as frustration was sounding more and more like anger.

"I'm sorry, it's not like I planned this." She tried reaching out to him again only to be shrugged off, "I didn't know what else to do." She was getting impatient with him; she was the one that needed his help, not the other way around. "Can you just avoid my mom for a bit, maybe this will just blow over?"

"No, I can't." His voice rose in anger, "We work together, Aria!" He was pacing the floor again, his hands darting through his hair.

She stared at the floor and in one last attempt to console him said, "I'm sorry, Ezra, I didn't know what else to do." This time she slowed down and put stress on the last statement. She could hear the irritation in her own voice, and felt certain he did too.

"You couldn't have said you were at the hospital? You couldn't have left me out of it?" He countered back at her, taking that moment to stop pacing so he could glare at her directly. He eyes were filled with disdain, he'd never shown himself like this to her before.

Her temper was now rising along with his. "No, I told you," her voice now just as fierce as his, "I don't know what all A said to my mom." She had expected him to be upset, but not mad. "I didn't want to get caught in a lie."

As soon as the words fell out of her mouth, she knew he was going to throw it back at her. And rightly so, after all, she was asking him to lie.

"But it's OK for me to lie? You don't think your mom would be more forgiving of you than me?" His tone switched from irritated to condescending.

She knew that the smart thing to do would be to apologize and ask for his forgiveness. They didn't need to be arguing right now, they needed to be working together.

Unfortunately, pride prevailed and she let her stubborn streak come out, "Fine, Ezra, don't worry about it. I shouldn't have come to you about this anyways, it's not your problem, it's mine." She stood up and walked to the table to grab her purse and keys. "Forget I even stopped by this evening, or last night too, for that matter!" She slammed the door on her way out, tears already spilling out her eyes.


	16. Chapter 16

Even if she secretly wished he'd come chasing after her, she was painfully aware of the tears that fled down her face, one after the other. She whisked away the wetness they left behind with the back of her hand. She was on the verge of a sobbing frenzy and afraid she might not make it to car before she lost all control.

Damn the fact that she always had to park around the building and in the back!

Finally, her car was within sight. She took a quick peek over her shoulder to make sure he hadn't decided to follow her out the door. She couldn't risk him seeing her in this state. Sure, he'd seen her cry before. With the shit she'd been through lately, his shoulders had burdened the weight of her tears on several occasions. This time was different, this time he was the source of her pain. It was her instinct to hide the hurt from those who inflicted it upon her.

That's why she left him there in his apartment, slamming the door on her way out.

She reached her car, climbed in and started the engine. She didn't have a destination in mind, just the desire to be somewhere else and fast. She turned onto the main road and continued to drive around aimlessly for a few blocks. Once she realized she had no where to go, she quickly pulled into an empty parking spot and shut off the engine.

Her head fell into her hands, and in the quiet solitude of her car, she cried.

She'd reached her breaking point. She had taken all she could handle; the drama brought on by A, Noel and his threats, her mom moving out. This fight with Ezra was the catalyst that caused it to all come crashing down on top of her.

She tried to convince herself that she only went to him because he needed to know about A and Noel, for his own protection. But the truth was that she went over there because she was scared, and she wanted him to protect her, hold her and promise her that everything would be alright, just like he'd always done.

It tough for her to admit, but this time, he thought only of himself.

The events of the past few weeks flashed before her as she tried to piece it together. She had no idea who was interfering in the lives of her and her friends. A knew such intimate details of each one of them, and had successfully used them to hurt her and her friends. A was the reason her mom found out about her father's infidelity, causing them to separate. A threatened Hanna with her bulimia secret, and ran her over with a car. A had sent pictures of Emily kissing another girl to her mom well before Emily was ready to come out of the closet. A had planted false evidence that back fired on Spencer, leaving Spencer as the prime suspect in Alison's unresolved murder case.

At that moment, something occurred to her that hadn't before. She lifted her head from her hands displaying a look of revelation. Before she could process the thought completely, she took in the view of her chosen parking spot.

She was staring directly at Alison's memorial.

That's when it all started to fall into place. They had been so caught up in cleaning up A's mess and tracking down Ali's killer, they'd forgotten to try and figure out how the two were connected.

"How does A know things about us that only you did, Ali?" She questioned out loud towards the memorial.

She decided right then and there to call the others; they had to put an end to A. Maybe together, they'd know more than they did alone.

She grabbed her purse and fumbled around in search of her phone. She flipped on the interior light when her phone wasn't in its usual spot and started looking around in the seat. When that was unsuccessful, she got out of her car and checked under the seats, and then on either side of the console.

She sat back down in her seat, closed her eyes and threw her head back on the headrest, all while letting out an exasperated breath.

She'd left her phone at Ezra's. That was the only place it could be if it wasn't in her car. She'd used it on her way to his place to text Hanna, in case her dad decided to check up on her. It must have fallen out when she set her purse down on the counter at his apartment.

She had to go back for it; she couldn't risk what happened last time she'd left her phone at his house. A had sent one her famous text messages and Ezra, upon seeing the message, didn't speak to her for days. Then he'd left town not telling her where he'd went. She'd ended up almost kissing Noel. She shuddered at these thoughts, and decided she had no choice; she had to go back for her phone.

She turned down her visor, flinching at the reflection. Her eyes were swollen and puffy, surrounded by radiating black trails of mascara. She grabbed a Kleenex from the console and attempted to put herself back together.

When she felt she'd composed herself as best as she could, she started the car and made her way back to his apartment.

She grew nervous as she rounded the corner of the hallway that led to his apartment. She figured he was still mad at her, and she didn't want him to think she'd come back to talk about the fight. She prepared herself to be direct, "I just need my phone," she repeated silently to herself a few times on her way to his door.

She was surprised to see that the door to 3B was open.

She walked up to the open door and stopped, not sure if she should knock or just walk in. Under normal circumstances, she would have just gone right in, made herself at home. But this wasn't normal circumstances, and she didn't expect him to welcome her with open arms as he usually did.

She stood there a few moments, her courage starting to fade, when she thought she heard her name. She quietly pushed open the door, poking her head in just enough to see who he could possibly be talking to, only to find him alone in the room.

He stood with his back to her, staring out the window with her phone in one hand and a glass of brown liquor in the other. She hadn't expected to find him looking so defeated, so helpless. He looked a mess, his every hair out of place, his feet were bare and his shirt tail hung out in wrinkles. Papers were scattered across the floor and a half drank bottle of whiskey sat open on the table.

Her heart reached out to him and she felt her guard soften.

She was still deciphering his appearance when he spoke again, "Where are you?"

Before she could think about the words, they fell from her mouth, "I'm here."

He spun around quickly in response to hearing her voice. His eyes glistened when he realized she truly was standing there in front of him. "Aria!" He cried out, his voice caught in his throat, as he sat his drink on the table and rushed towards her.

She hardened, the moment of weakness had passed and the memory of their last encounter came back front and center, "I just need my phone, Ezra," she said coldly, as she extended her hand palm up.

He clutched her phone and drew it to his chest, the glimmer of hope that had once shone in his eyes faded as he pleaded with her, "Aria, please. I don't know what came over me, I," he trailed off, shook his head and let his eyes find the floor.

She sighed heavily and fought her urge to wrap her arms around him. Still not ready to succumb to his attempt at an apology, she pursed her lips into a thin line, preventing any words to pass.

He looked back up at her, after realizing she wasn't going to respond. Defeat written on his face, he placed her phone in her still outstretched hand, closing his hand around hers. "You did nothing wrong," he said shaking his head, "I did." He took a step towards her, closing in the gap between them, their eyes just inches apart, "You needed me, and I pushed you away. I'm sorry."

She didn't move for a moment, not even a blink. A small smile surfaced on her face. Her free hand reached to brush a few hairs from his face and landed on his cheek. She watched the relief wash over him as he welcomed her touch and returned her smile.

He released her hand and wrapped both arms around her, pulling her close. Her arms instinctively went around his waist and her head tucked itself under his chin. Her worries and fears vanished with each kiss he planted on the top of her head. He whispered apologizes into her hair as his grip on her tightened.

It wasn't long before they found themselves cuddled on the couch to a movie they'd both seen several times. She sat with her legs down the length of the couch as she stretched across his lap. His arms enclosed around her and her head fit perfectly against his chest. She felt his breath in her hair and heard him take deep breaths in of her scent. She knew he wasn't paying much attention to the film. But even if her eyes were on the screen, she wasn't either. Her every thought was on them, the two of them, lying there on the couch together.

He interrupted her thoughts, "This is my favorite part," he whispered in her ear.

She returned her focus to the screen, and then leaned her head back to look up at him and questioned, "This part? When he finds out his mother died?" The look on her face was that of shock and confusion.

"No," he said slowly, as his eyes followed his fingers tracing imaginary lines up her arm, grazing across her neck and landing on her lips. "My favorite part about us," he explained as his eyes met hers.

Her face softened and the corners of her mouth lifted in a smile. Her hand, now at the base of his neck, took in a grasp of his hair and pulled him closer. "And what about this part?" she teased and met his lips in a deep kiss.

They finally broke for air and he flashed a sly look that she knew was reserved only for her. His voice teased, "A very close second."

Her smile grew and she let out a chuckle, her eyes remaining fixed on his.

He brought his hand back to her face, brushed a stray strand of hair away and tucked it behind her ear. His thumb remained on her cheek and his face softened as he confided in her, "I love you, Aria."

She knew she loved him, from the first moment they met; the first time her lips met his. To hear it from him was something completely beyond saying it in her head. She savored the moment, taking in every detail she could possibly remember, before replying with her own confession, "I love you, Ezra."


End file.
